Kids Bible Devotional for August 15, 2024
Listen Here
Focus Verse
Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small (NKJV)
Jump Start
Are you strong enough to lift two oxen by yourself? One man was, and no it wasn’t yours truly.
As of the date this devotion was written, the most weight lifted by a human according to the Guinness Records was 5,340 lbs., or 2,420 kg. This feat was accomplished by Canada’s strong man Gregg Earnst in July 1993. With one ox on each side of him standing on a platform, Earnst lifted the equivalent of two cars on his own.
It's not always weights at a gym, or in Earnst’s case, at a Strong Man competition, that challenges our strength. Trials have a way of testing how strong our faith in God is. Everyone will have hardships in life. But God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. At the same time, it is up to you to choose to believe this promise or not. Do you believe that God can see you through any trial or adversity?
Today's Devotion
Lacey motioned to her dad from her Sunday school classroom after service. “Dad, I want you to meet my new friend, Niyala. She’s from India.”
Dad bowed to the girl with raven hair and gleaming smile.
“Niyala lives in an orphanage in India,” Lacey continued.
Her father snapped his finger. “Ah! This must be the same orphanage they talked about in big church?”
She returned another smile.
“Niyala’s mom died when she was five, and her father left her and her little brother with relatives. They could not care for them, so when Niyala was nine and her brother was seven, they abandoned them on the street. Niyala and her brother literally lived in a dump until the orphanage took them in.”
“Wow! That’s amazing and sad all at the same time. Was it scary living alone on the streets,” Lacey’s father said.
“It was,” Niyala replied. “Thankfully, we were not there long before these kind Christians found us.”
“But why did you have to suffer like that at all?” Lacey asked. “You were just kids.”
“In India, many believe that misfortunes in this life are because of bad things someone has done in a past life.”
“Past life?”
“Yes, I speak of reincarnation. That is a belief that one returns in another form after they die. What they become is based on how they lived in a previous life. Thank God for the kind people at the orphanage who taught us about Jesus. I now know, after this life, I will live with Jesus.”
“You are an inspiration, Niyala,” Lacey’s father said.
Niyala shrugged. “I can’t take the credit. I give Jesus all the glory.”
“Amen to that!” Lacey’s dad exclaimed.
Wrap Up
The devotion you heard was loosely based on personal experiences that have been shared with me. It’s easy to take for granted just how blessed we are to know the love of Jesus until you hear stories like these. It’s also a great reminder that no matter how challenging circumstances can be, God is faithful to see us through. The question is, will we be faithful long enough in return? Can we trust God to work all things for good? Or will the pressure get to us, and we lose our faith?
If you ever want to remember the steep price the apostles paid to spread the gospel, read Paul’s account in 2 Corinthians 11:22-33. Paul was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, imprisoned, robbed, sleepless, hungry, cold, and flat tired. In many cases, more than once. Yet, his boast was in the Lord.
We will go through tough times at some point in our lives, but we have God’s assurance that He can work our hardships for our good. He paints a silver lining around every dark cloud.
Comments